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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Living with Purpose by Martin Wiles

I’ve never been one, but I hear it’s an exhilarating experience. And as of February 21, 2013, I entered the “Grandpa (or more appropriately ‘Pee Paw’) world.”Levi Andrew Wiles entered our universe in Anderson, South Carolina, at 1:24 a. m. Fortunately my daughter didn’t force me to wait 20 hours for his arrival. Within the space of a few hours, he guzzled his first breath of air, wallowed in his first bath, underwent a thorough inspection by medical staff, gulped his first sip of mother’s milk, and made himself ready for the holding and gawking that normally attends the birth of a first child or grandchild.

But as wonderful as it was staying awake 24 hours just to see this cuddly bundle of joy, being a Pee Paw isn’t my life’s purpose. With a few quick strokes of his pen, Paul tells how every believer can live with purpose. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:24 NLT).Entering healthy relationships…the most important being the one with Christ, gives purpose to my life. Paul discovered this on the road to Damascus when God blinded him so he could see spiritually.

Living with purpose entails setting goals. Ones just beyond my personal ability to reach. Goals that when met prompt me to assign God credit. Ones that align with what he’s called me to accomplish in life. Goals that result in finishing life well.

Living with purpose also involves sharing my faith just as I shared the news of Levi’s birth with everyone important in my life. Good news…the best news…should never be bottled up in selfishness.

If it seems you’re wandering aimlessly through life, let God show you how to live with purpose.

Prayer: Thank You Eternal Father for giving us purpose in life and the gifts to complete Your plans. When it appears we’re floundering around with little or no direction, re-birth Your goals in our hearts and minds.